Throwback Thursday #2

Throwback Thursday is a weekly/monthly event hosted by Jenny at Take Me Away . The purpose is to highlight a "throwback" or an older book that deserves some recognition.

Throwbacks can be:

•a book you've read and loved, or a book you've always wanted to read
•a book that brings back memories for you
•from as far back as your childhood, or just from last year
•a classic or a hidden gem

Sabriel (Abhorsen Chronicles #1) by Garth Nix
496 pages
Published September 30th 1996 by HarperTrophy
(first published December 31st 1995)

Summary:

Since childhood, Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who refuse to stay dead. But now her father, the Mage Abhorson, is missing, and Sabriel must cross into that world to find him. With Mogget, whose feline form hides a powerful, perhaps malevolent spirit, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage.Sabriel travels deep into the Old Kingdom. There she confronts an evil that threatens much more than her life and comes face to face with her own hidden destiny.

Thoughts:
I can't believe it's been that long since it was published. 1996? My..this is probably one of the first YA fantasy book that I've read. And I'm still a teen back then. Sorry Twilight. Sabriel is a dark book and being written by a guy, the romance parts are few and far between. But I can't help but root for the character. She's so damn cool..mind you. I have always hope that it will be made into a movie or something with Keira Knightley as the title character but nothing.
If only it was published post-Twilight with a dazzling cover in front, I guarantee fans of the hyped YA revolution will be grabbing it with excitement.

Verdict: 5 stars!

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday is a weekly/monthly event hosted by Jenny at Take Me Away . It debuted on July 2, 2009. The purpose is to highlight a "throwback" or an older book that deserves some recognition.


Throwbacks can be:

•a book you've read and loved, or a book you've always wanted to read

•a book that brings back memories for you

•from as far back as your childhood, or just from last year

•a classic or a hidden gem

My first Throwback Thursday is:

Libyrinth by Pearl North.
Published July 7th 2009.

Summary:
In her debut novel, Pearl North takes readers centuries into the future, to a forgotten colony of Earth where technology masquerades as magic and wars are fought over books.

Haly is a Libyrarian, one of a group of people dedicated to preserving and protecting the knowledge passed down from the Ancients and stored in the endless maze of books known as the Libyrinth. But Haly has a secret: the books speak to her.


When an attack by the hostile Eradicants drives her from her home, Haly learns that things are not at all what she thinks they are. Taken prisoner by the Eradicants, who believe the written word to be evil, she sees the world through their eyes and comes to understand that they are not the book-burning monsters that she has known her entire life.

The words of a young girl hiding in an Amsterdam attic and written hundreds of years before Haly’s birth will spark the interest of her captors and begin the change necessary to end the conflict between the Eradicants and Libyrarians. With the help of her loyal companion Nod, a creature of the Libyrinth, Haly must mend the rift between the two groups before their war for knowledge destroys them all. In doing so, Haly’s life—and the lives of everyone she knows—will never be the same.

A powerful adventure that unites the present and future, Libyrinth is a fresh, magical novel that will draw in young readers of all genres.
 
Thoughts:
I absolutely freaking love this book! To be surrounded by thousands upon thousands of books every day is any book lover's dream. And to have Haly's ability to listen to books without even so much as look at them is very useful, don't you think? We could eavesdrop on other people's journals, letters, memos..oooh.
 
Surprisingly, I think I rooted for Haly's best friend; Clauda the kitchen servant more. She's very kick-ass in her own way. This book leaned more to the feminist side with three strong girls; Clauda. Haly and Selene as it's main characters and might be somewhat controversial to some for it's weird religious innuendos and a few awkward lesbian moments. But other than that, it's quite a thoughtful and thrilling read with lots of excerpts from famous books in between.
 
Verdict: 4 stars.